Moving schools, how can I help DS??

[SparklyGothKat]

We have decided to move the children from the school they attend atm, Its too far (3.2miles x4 every day) for me to do everyday and the traffic is a lot worst than I thought it would be. Have found a school 1 mile away with excellent SATs results, and a good ofsed report and also some of the kids from the new street go there, so the kids will know people there, and they have spaces for all my kids. BUT DS (8) is very upset at the thought, he said that he will lose all his friends. He is refusing to discuss it. The girls are happy enough at the thought, and want to go there now.... its just DS who is struggling to come round to the idea. How can I help him?

Can you find some other boys his age locally who he'd be with and arrange playdates with some of his old ones for weekends or half term so he knows he'll see them soon ?

we have said that we will get all his friends phone numbers and MSNs. He has a lot of friends in yr6 and he is devastated at the thought of losing them a year ahead of time IYKWIM?

bump

please help me

My children are all starting a new school on wednesday. my ds is 7. Is there a chance for your ds to visit the new school and spend a day there? I found that all of mine got alot more enthusiastic about the move after they had spent time there. We have kept in touch with some friends from our old area too - ds is writing to his old best friend and we have visited once too (we moved a month ago).

DD1 (aged 6) moved schools this Summer and we have found the move to be far less traumatic than we thought. We were fairly up-front with her and said that yes, she would have to make new friends and that might be difficult for a few weeks but generally most people are friendly and if she tried hard then others would meet her half-way.

We also played up the positives of having friends from schoool near where we live so she would be able to play after school, meet them in the park etc.

On the leaving old friends behind again we have got numbers to keep in contact, will see a couple at various after school thingies but after she started her new school (only 2 weeks ago) her interest has waned to be honest.

We let her chose what type of lunch - home, packed or school cooked - but suggested that if she stayed at school then she would have the chance to play for longer at lunchtime which would give her more chance to make friends.,

We agreed with the school (at their suggestion) that she started 30 mins later on her first day so she wasn't doing the 'lost sheep' thing in the playground and corridor.

Her school also runs a 'house' system and her house captain had a chat with her about joining the school and how to best fit in. She was given a buddy in the class to help too.

Good luck.

Well he is slowly coming round to the idea. I have an appointment tomorrow at the new school, and we will be enrolling the kids then, I have printed off some slips of paper with our phone number on it so he can give them to his close friends.

he is in year4. So has 3 years left. He has decided to move, which is a relief for us. Have visited the school today and enrolled them. Will be taking the kids after school to look around the school.